My
appreciation goes to
the many members who
have contributed to
the website, and in
particular to those
men who contributed
articles to 'Special
Mention', 'Once We
Were Soldiers' and
'Tales From The
Tiger' sections, who
walked over dead
ground and relived
it again. I thank
you.

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this website your
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Members check the
notice board above
and also the forum
message board
located further down
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For visitors wanting
more information
about each page on
the left menu bar,
hold your mouse
pointer over each
link.And finally,
the views expressed
on this website are
not necessarily
those of the 5RAR
Association
Committee.

I hope you find your
visit informative
and interesting.

Co-Patron
Promoted to
Major-General

Our
President
COL Roger
Wainwright
(retd), is
pleased to
advise our
Association
that our
Co-Patron
Jake Ellwood
was promoted
to
Major-General
on the 8th
May.He has
been
appointed as
Deputy Chief
of Army to
replace
MAJGEN Rick
Burr who is
to be
promoted to
become Chief
of Army
following
LTGEN Angus
Campbell's
appointment
as Chief of
Defence
Force.
Major-General
Ellwood is
seen here
with our
President
Roger
Wainwright.
The
promotion
ceremony was
held in the
office of
Chief of
Army and he
wanted a
Tiger Elder
to be
present.

Situated north of the 1st Australian Task Force base at Nui Dat on the western side of Route 2,
the village of Binh Ba had a population of around three thousand people – mainly farmers and rubber plantation workers. Tidy and rectangular in shape, and mainly constructed of solid brick and tile, Binh Ba was well known to the Australians. Indeed during 5RAR's first tour in Vietnam a rifle company and a mortar section had been briefly stationed within the village itself. This strategy proved to be
a deterrent to the Viet Cong tax collectors and assassination squads taking control of the village. The drain on the finite resources of the small Australian force proved to be too much however, and the village was later left to the protection of South Vietnamese Regional Forces. In an attempt to demonstrate that they could move freely within the province, a combined communist force including the
1st Battalion NVA 33 Regiment, elements of the VC D440 Local Force Battalion, the Binh Ba and Ngai Giao Guerrilla Squad and the Chau Duc District Company had occupied Binh Ba on the evening of 5–6 June 1969. In response, South Vietnamese forces were sent from Duc Thanh the following morning. Initial intelligence suggested that a group of about platoon strength had infiltrated the village. Meanwhile
during a separate operation 6RAR had also been engaged in a heavy contact several kilometres north of the task force base and at 0800 on 6 June, an Australian Centurion tank and an armoured recovery vehicle moving through Binh Ba to assist 6RAR were fired upon. A rocket propelled grenade struck the Centurion penetrating the turret, and causing damage to the tank and severe wounds to one of the crewman.
The district commander subsequently asked 1 ATF for assistance in clearing Binh Ba.

PRESS YOUR F5 KEY TO LOAD THE LATEST UPDATES
(Notices will include the relevant link
if applicable)

August 9 edition of 'Army Newspaper' available in
NEWSPAPER section
(Posted 7 August)

Have been advised of the passing of Pte. Clive
Dick, B Company 2nd Tour, Vietnam. Details
(Posted 6 August)

April
2018 edition of the 5RAR Association's
newsletter "Tiger Tales" is available to
non-members
(Posted 6 August)

Poem titled "Two Best Mates" by Bill Charlton
and and John Seagg have been added to the POEMS
page
(Posted 5 August)

Have been advised of the passing of Cpl John
"Jack" Loader, 2nd tour Vietnam. Details on our
VALE page
(Posted 1 August)

August 2018 edition of 'Half Circle' available in
'SUB-UNIT NEWSLETTER' section or you can view it
(Posted 1August)

Have been advised of the passing of Phil Green
2nd tour Vietnam. Details on the VALE page
(Posted 15 July)

NEWSLETTERS/PAPERS

Tiger Tales is the newsletter of the
5RAR Association and is published
three times a year in April, August
and December. This page contains
copies of previous editions. The
current edition is forwarded by post
to all current financial members of
the Association.

Dust of Uruzgan
A tribute to Pte. Ben
Renuado, KIA Afghanistan
2009.
Pte Evan Jones, who was
in the 5RAR Intelligence
Section of BHQ during
1969-70, was always a
bit of an entertainer
and has now placed a
couple of his recent
songs on You Tube.